The Adventure of the Bloody Ace
by Tempest Bound
Summary: "Don't say that you're fine so often," he said, opening the door. "Others might get the wrong impression about you." (Sherlock/19th Century AU, based on Tumblr user anythingapollo's Sherlock AU. A Victorian retelling of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.)


Apollo Justice was having a particularly good day.

He woke up earlier than normal and didn't feel the worse for it, strangely, though he went to bed at the usual hour. On top of that, Mr. Gavin, his mentor and employer, finally allowed him to lead a case.

"Are you sure you're up to it, Mr. Justice?" Gavin asked him, looking both amused and slightly put off by how energetic he was being about the whole affair, even in the confines of a cab.

"Absolutely! I'm fine, sir!" he said confidently, grinning from ear to ear. Then he faltered. "Though, why are we taking a cab? We should be meeting our client, shouldn't we?"

Gavin shook his head, suddenly serious. "The man we're going to meet is in a very...difficult situation. We're to talk to him at the Yard."

"What is he doing there? Is he an officer?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Gavin said, voice measured. "He's under arrest, at the moment."

Here, Justice turned quickly to his employer, almost violently, eyes wide and mouth agape. "We're helping a criminal?" he cried.

"A friend of mine," he corrected. "Though not a new face to law enforcement, unfortunately."

"A repeat offender!"

Gavin looked at him strangely, then, smiling. "I'd have thought you'd be happier to meet your idol, Mr. Justice."

For a moment, Justice sat there, perplexed, before realization struck him. "No," he said, voice filled with disbelief. "You're joking!"

He looked almost offended by the suggestion. "I don't joke."

"But Mr. Phoenix Wright, sir?" he exclaimed. "_The _Phoenix Wright?"

"I would have put it differently," Gavin said, grimacing, "but yes. Are you all right?"

He'd gone so still, perhaps Gavin had thought he'd just up and died. He shook his head, suddenly giddy and very set on making Mr. Gavin understand he is, very much so, ready for anything. "I'm fine, sir!"

Gavin snorted quietly. "You look very anxious, Mr. Justice."

"I'm fine, I swear, sir!" His voice wavered slightly and he cursed it.

"One more thing," Gavin said as the cab pulled up at the curb.

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't say that you're fine so often," he said, opening the door. "Others might get the wrong impression about you."

* * *

The were let in to see him by a slightly disgruntled inspector.

"He keeps asking for cards," the man, whose glasses were very nearly opaque, they were so thick, as he left them, "but of course we can't give them to him."

Gavin sighed and leaned forward toward the bars as an officer made sure that the pistol he had locked away was the only weapon he had on his person. "Wright, are you trying to be ironic?"

From somewhere past the bars, in a cell down the hall, someone laughed. "I thought you were one for irony, Gavin."

For some strange reason, the voice that supposedly belonged to Phoenix Wright sounded strange to Justice. It almost sounded too mirthful, even for the famously joking detective. There wasn't another exchange between the two until the officer had opened the door, the bars rattling as it closed again.

Together they walked down the corridor, the sound of their steps loud in the emptiness, before stopping before a cell. A man, dressed in rough clothing more suited for the poor, cloth cap pulled low, sat behind the bars on the thin cot. He lifted his head slightly, smile lopsided. "Nice to see you again, Gavin."

"We saw each other just a couple days ago, Wright," Gavin answered, mouth contorted. "How did you manage to get yourself in so much trouble since then?"

"Oh, I thought you received my wire." Something in the nature of his voice made it feel like he might burst into laughter at any given moment, even when he might have been serious or disappointed.

"I did."

"I explained what happened in th-"

"You did not," Gavin snapped, drawing the slip of paper from his coat pocket. He waved it at the bars and Justice caught a brief glimpse of the message, which was signed by 'your old friend'. "This message is practically a cipher, for God's sake!"

"Well, I did say someone's dead, yes? And that I am in need of your help?"

"His help," Gavin said. "You asked for my little protoge when I offered my help."

Justice looked over at Gavin, frowning. He'd thought this was only a test of sorts, just an employer allowing his employee to try his hand at something tougher, to see if he's capable - that Gavin had gotten a case and had only passed it onto him. He wasn't aware he was specifically requested.

"Of course," Wright said, leaning forward, hands buried in his pockets. "You are…?"

Caught off guard, Justice exclaimed, "I-I'm fine, sir!" A moment after the words had left his lips, he mentally kicked himself.

Wright looked even more amused than he had before. Gavin sighed, removing his hat to pressingpress his hand to his forehead, before saying, "This is Mr. Justice."

Coughing, he mustered his pride and said, "Are you certain you're happy with your decision, sir?"

Wright didn't answer, cocking his head slightly.

"Mr. Gavin is your friend," he continued, now regretting each word and knowing he had to finish his thought or risk looking like an idiot, "and he's experienced at his job. Why ask for an untested stranger, Mr. Wright?"

Wright laughed. "You'll see."

"I'm..sorry?" he asked, more confused than ever. He glanced back at Gavin, who looked distinctly annoyed.

Gavin simply shook his head, smiling to himself. "Don't worry - you'll do fine, Mr. Justice."

* * *

**Tempest: This is a fanfiction based on the incredibly cool Sherlock AU idea that Tumblr user anythingapollo came up with. A way this story differs from their idea:**

**Names aren't changed. I debated this for a while - on one hand, it'd make it easier for readers to recognize which Sherlockian character each AA character takes the place of, but...**

**1) We'd lose the name puns. Can't have that. I mean, Apollo's 'Here comes Justice!'? Or Phoenix's nicknames, like 'Trite'? Magnificence like that shouldn't be lost.**

**2) I tried writing them with switched names, but it ended up just looking plain strange. Apollo Justice became Apollo Watson and I...it really bothered me. Feel free to ask who's who, though!**

**This is just a test, for the moment. Will hopefully write more!**

**I mean, if anythingapollo likes this O.O'**


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